The Battle Of The Bands
by reynabeth
Summary: Piper McLean and her band are determined to win the local contest. But when she forms an unexpected friendship with a member of their rival band, will it affect their chances of winning? ((Platonic!Liper one-shot, rated T because I'm paranoid!))


A/N Originally written for ShutUpPercy's writing contest on Wattpad, but I thought I'd put it here too! Please review!

'Next up,' boomed the announcer's voice, 'we have...THE BEAUTY QUEENS!'

Piper McLean took a deep breath. She turned to her friends, Annabeth, Hazel, and Reyna. 'You ready?' she asked, with a small, nervous smile.

Hazel and Reyna nodded, determined expressions on their faces. Annabeth didn't look so sure, but she returned Piper's smile, and together they stepped onto the stage.

When Piper had first suggested to her friends that they formed a band, her idea had been met with a mixed response. Hazel - a keen keyboard player - had been all up for it, but Reyna and Annabeth hadn't exactly wanted to do it. Piper knew Annabeth could play the drums, and she had heard Reyna on guitar before, and they were both incredible, but for some reason they had been against it. Eventually, Piper had persuaded them to come round, and they had formed The Beauty Queens. Surprisingly, the other girls hadn't minded the name - mainly because Piper suggested it could be ironic - and the band was formed. So far, they had performed a few times at a local bar, and once at an elementary school (that hadn't gone down so well.) They mainly played covers, but Reyna had written a few songs (Reyna was also good at writing. What couldn't she do?) and they had practised them too.

But now it was their big moment.

The Battle Of The Bands.

When the first posters had gone up, Piper had been 100% against it. It was stupid and pointless - but then she had learnt there would be talent scouts. It was Piper's dream to get her talent recognised...okay, she wasn't sure if she had that much talent, but it would be good to take a shot at her dream, right? Piper aspired to be a singer - and not just any old singer. She wanted to be known, to be recognised wherever she went. Someday, she wanted the whole _world_ to know the name _Piper McLean._ And it would happen. She would make it happen.

The Beauty Queens filed onto the stage. Piper took her place at the front, behind the mike. The crowd fell silent. Directly in front of her sat the table with the panel of judges. She needed to impress. 'Hi,' she said into the mike, and her voice sounded different somehow - but maybe it was just the nerves. 'We are The Beauty Queens.'

'Okay, so, tell us a bit about your band.' The judge that had spoken was a tall, handsome, young man with gelled blond hair.

'We - we formed this band recently, because... It has always been our dream to make music professionally.' Piper heard Annabeth clear her throat behind her, but all that mattered at the moment was the look on the guy's face: interest, almost fascination.

'So, what will you be playing for us?' he asked.

'A - a song we composed...' Piper tried to steady her voice. 'It's called _I'm Nobody's Darling.'_

'Okay then,' the judge nodded, 'whenever you're ready.'

Piper cleared her throat.

The seconds dragged on. Then Annabeth began to play. For a so-called musician, Piper didn't know much about drums, but she could tell this was good. Reyna struck the first chords, Hazel started to play, and Piper began to sing.

' _You think you know me, oh!_

 _You think you're always right._

 _You think you can control me, oh!_

 _You think I never fight.'_

If Piper did say so herself, they were off to a good start.

' _Well I got news for you, baby,_

 _(Ohhhh, yes I do)_

 _I'm no-body's darlin'!'_

The rest of the song went without a hitch. By the time she sang the final words, and the music ended, the judges were nodding and smiling - except the man who had spoken at the beginning. The crowd applauded; some people cheered. The first judge began to speak, and the crowd instantly fell silent. 'I loved it!' She smiled up at the stage, and Piper grinned back. The next two critics also gave positive verdicts, and Piper swore she heard Annabeth squeal happily behind her - although she was probably wrong. Annabeth _never_ squealed.

The final judge looked up from his notes. 'I've got news for you, darlin',' he said, mimicking the song, 'I loved it. You're through to the next round.'

Piper thought her group of friends weren't really the type of people to scream and jump up and down in front of everyone. It looked like, this time, she was wrong. 'Thank you so much,' she said, tears pricking her eyes in happiness. She knew it was kinda stupid - it was only a local music contest - but it meant surely she had _some_ talent, at least.

The next few minutes were a blur, but soon she and her friends were offstage - although she had no memory of getting there. 'I can't believe we made it!' Hazel cried, 'I played a wrong note halfway through - I was sure they'd pick up on it!'

'Nobody noticed,' said Piper, half delirious with happiness, 'hell, even I didn't notice, and I was in front of you!'

There was one more band to go before the end of the show, and Reyna shushed them. 'I want to watch this,' she confessed, 'check out the competition, I guess.'

The band were called _The Olympians_ \- strange, but effective. It was four guys, all dressed in black and red. It gave them an unnerving, threatening look. The lead singer had perfectly tousled dark hair and green eyes - Piper heard Annabeth let out a 'whoa' - and a blond guy was on keyboard. The guitar was being played by a big Chinese guy, but they didn't really interest her. However, she was fascinated by the drummer. He had messy black hair, pointed ears, and a mischievous smile. Something about the gleam in his eyes made him seem very likable.

They began to play. The song was called Tear In My Heart, and it was by a band Piper quite liked - twenty one pilots - and she recognised it almost immediately. They hadn't composed their own song, which gave her band the edge, maybe, but they played even better than she had. The judges gave them similar feedback to what Piper's band had got, and The Olympians also got through to the next round.

Annabeth gave a low whistle. 'They are _competition,'_ she stated.

'Well, you're not wrong,' Piper muttered. Just then, The Olympians came backstage, pushing and jostling each other and laughing.

'Hey, _girls_ ,' said the drummer, 'nice performance back there. Thing is, _darlin'_ , I got news for you, and it's that you don't stand a _chance_ against us!' The guys laughed raucously. Piper flipped them off, causing them to all go _Ooooh_ , but then someone ushered them out and it was quiet again.

'Douchebags,' spat Reyna.

'We'll see who's laughing when we kick their asses out there!' Piper added.

'Yes...' Hazel sighed, 'we most definitely will...'

 **LEO**

For the second round, Leo's band were performing another cover - this time of a Fall Out Boy song, Hum Hallelujah. It meant a lot to Leo, and he hoped everything would go right. But first, the girl band was on. They too performed a cover - Leo didn't recognise the song, but it was something about teenagers - which made Leo feel better. His band couldn't write songs well, so they had to perform covers, and now the competition was equal. Yeah, sure, they would need to write to go pro, but they would burn that bridge when they came to it. Jason nudged Leo, jolting him from his thoughts. 'Hey, man, we're up!' said the blond, with a smile. Leo joined Percy and Frank, and together they filed onto the stage. They took their places.

Leo was ADHD, and he found it was difficult to concentrate on the presenter announcing them and talking to the judges. He distractedly fiddled with a drumstick, waiting for their performance to begin; it seemed to take forever. Finally, it was time. The world narrowed to just him, the drums, and the band. He felt like this every time he drummed, and it almost came naturally to him. It was one of the few things he was actually good at.

The song finished, Leo played the last few beats...and they waited. He clutched the drumstick so hard his knuckles went white and his fingers began to throb. Luckily, they had done alright - Mr Devenish, a blond man, with a chiseled jaw and a pointed nose, said he hadn't liked the song choice - but Leo was pleased anyway. Thankfully, they had done enough to get through to the next round. As they left the stage, he saw the lead singer of the girl band coming out of the bathroom. Caught up in the moment, he went over. 'Hey,' he said, with a smirk, 'not bad.'

'Uh - thanks! But you're _so_ going down next time.'

'Oh yeah?' Leo grinned. He liked this girl. Then, he did something that surprised him almost as much as it surprised her. He held his hand up for a high five - and she obliged.

'You're not so bad, you know,' he said thoughtfully.

'I could say the same for you.' She smiled. 'Piper McLean.' She held her hand out for a shake.

'Leo Valdez, at your service!' He took her hand. 'Nice to meet you. I'm sure we'll be the _best_ of friends.'

She looked like she was going to say something else, but then a girl stuck her head round the corner, her black braid whipping threateningly round her face. 'Piper? Why are you fraternising with the enemy?' the girl called.

'Just coming!' Piper replied. She turned back to Leo. 'See you around, then?'

'Sure.' He grinned. 'Oh, and tell your blonde friend that my bro Percy Jackson - the singer one - thinks she's hot.'

'Sure, Annabeth will be delighted!'

The other girl yelled down the corridor, 'PIPER!'

'Got to go,' said Piper with an apologetic smile, 'but yeah, I'll see you around.'

She hurried off, her hair blowing around her face in the draught from an open door. Now _she_ was someone Leo could use for a friend - nice, funny and confident. Yeah, he could _definitely_ work with that.

 **PIPER**

The weeks passed. Piper's band stayed in the competition - and so did Leo's. (The final was the next week!) There had been one close call when Piper had forgotten a word and gotten out of time, but she had composed herself quickly and she didn't think the judges noticed. If they had, they hadn't mentioned it. However, as their chance to win the Battle rose, her grades dropped. Piper had never been a hundred per cent focussed on getting top scores, and she hadn't been a straight-A student, but she hadn't done badly either. Sure, she wasn't as smart as some of the people she knew, but her dad was proud of her marks, and that was what mattered. However, her B's had slipped to C's, and then to D's. She was averaging a D- in most classes. But her dad hadn't found out yet, so it was okay. She'd get her grades back up after the Battle was over - Dad never needed to know. Anyway, he'd understand. He supported her music, and was proud of her for entering the competition. He wouldn't be fazed, surely.

'Piper McLean, you are _grounded_ for the foreseeable future.'

'What!? But, Dad-'

'Absolutely not! This report was the _worst_ you've _ever had_!'

Piper's dad was waving her report card. Piper had attempted to get rid of it on the way back from school, but her dad had come to pick her up.

'What about the Battle Of The Bands?' she gasped. 'It's the final next _week!_ '

'Oh, you can still take part...'

Piper sighed with relief. So long as their chances weren't affected by this, it would be bearable.

'...on the condition you get your grades back up.'

'But - if I'm studying, I won't be able to practice! I need to practice!' Piper felt her face flush red. 'We have to win!'

'You will...if you do well on the next test.'

'But-'

'No buts! Now go to your room, young lady!'

Piper nodded mutely. There was no point arguing with him when he got like this. So, she followed his orders and went up to her room. The outfit she had worn for their last performance was draped over the chair, and, as she ran her hands over it, nostalgic, she felt something stiff and scratchy in the pocket. A card! In messy, slanted script - with lots of crossing out - it said _Text me sometime? - Leo._ Underneath, he'd written his phone number. Piper smiled. She had talked to Leo several more times since the second round, and, after an initial bad start, he was starting to grow on her. Her dad hadn't come up to take away her phone yet, so she pulled it out and punched his number in. Then she shot him a text: _Coffee?_

He replied almost immediately: _Sure thing. Starbucks at 12?_

 _Can't,_ she replied _I'm grounded 'cause of my bad grades._

 _That's harsh._ His response made Piper grin.

 _I can get out of school tomorrow at 2. Visitor assembly, they won't notice I'm gone. Meet you Starbucks then?_ She crossed her fingers.

 _Course._ One little word, but it made her light up like a firework. Her other friends were absolutely great, but none of them were quite like Leo.

 **LEO**

At two on the dot, Leo was sat in the cafe, waiting for Piper. It wasn't like him to be on time, so this girl must be something special. Special...yeah, although he loved each of his friends, Piper was different. Individual. And he really, really wanted to be friends with her. Then, the door opened, and there she was. She was obviously in a school uniform - Leo felt sorry for her, having to go in uniform - with a white shirt and a blue kilt. A blue striped tie was loosely draped around her neck, and she was carrying a navy blue blazer. When he saw that, Leo felt even more sorry for her.

She spotted him and headed over. 'Hey,' he greeted, 'nice uniform, beauty queen.'

She slapped him lightly on the arm. 'It's _awful_. I go to this private all-girls school, and it's a horrible place. Filled with stuck-up, pretentious bitches who think they're fifty times better than you just because they get better grades. The only nice people there are my friends, the other girls in the band.'

'Oh, yeah. Bad luck. At my school, they have a dedicated detention centre, which makes it sound like a prison - although it is one, really.'

'It can't be worse than mine.'

'Oh yeah?'

'Yeah.'

'Well, at least you have a proper music class. Our music class is more like...a burping and farting harmony-'

'Ew.'

'Exactly. And a how-long-can-she-go-on-her-phone-before-she-gets-caught competition - people take bets and everything. Aside from that, people talk, eat and sleep the whole way through. The teachers can't control them at all. I can't remember the last time I got any work done - or even learnt anything.'

'That sucks.' Piper pulled a face. 'I guess maybe my school is okay - I just wish my dad didn't dictate my life. I got kicked out of several schools before this one, and he's paying loads for me to go there, so I feel like I have to stay.' She sighed.

'Who is your dad?' Leo asked curiously. 'Do I know him? I'm sure I recognise the name McLean.'

'He was in a few movies before I was born. But after Mom left - when I wasn't even one year old - he kind of sank into a depression, and didn't get hired again. Eventually, he sorted his life out and now he works in a coffee shop in the afternoons, a pub in the evenings, and as a supermarket cleaner in the early morning.'

'Wow...' Leo couldn't wrap his head around having to work that hard. 'He must get exhausted.'

'Um...yeah...' Piper looked uncomfortable, and quickly changed the subject. 'So, you looking forward to the final?'

'Oh, yeah. You're gonna get your asses kicked.'

'In your dreams!' They both laughed, and Leo felt a strange sense of comfort, of belonging.

'Leo...' said Piper slowly.

'That's a serious face. What's up?'

'Well...are we friends now?'

'Of course! I don't come to Starbucks for anyone, you know.'

Piper looked relieved, and she seemed like she was going to say something else, but then she caught sight of a clock on the wall. 'Oh, no!' she gasped. 'Is that the time? I have to get back _now_ \- I'm supposed to be grounded! If my dad suspects I've skived off school...' Piper drew her finger across her throat.

'Well, see you around sometime, beauty queen.'

'Sure thing!' Piper called over her shoulder, as she grabbed her bag and sprinted for the door. 'Bye!'

She raced off down the road, and Leo waited until she was out of sight before he left the cafe. So, they were friends now...That was an interesting turn of events.

 **PIPER**

It was The Day. The final of the Battle Of The Bands. The day when they made it...or it all went wrong. As Piper's band stood in the wings, her stomach churned and fluttered. This _had_ to go right. Leo's band were currently performing, and they had written their own song for once. It was called, You're The Water To My Fire, and Piper had to admit it was pretty good. It looked like they could write well, if they really tried. And then...it was time.

Leo walked past her. 'Good luck!' he whispered. Piper tried for a smile, but she was pretty sure she looked like a serial killer. She wanted to reply, but her friends didn't know about her sort-of friendship with Leo, and they'd never approve. They might even kick her out of the band, so she couldn't risk it.

As she stepped onto the stage, time slowed until it was nearly at a standstill. She could hear her heartbeat - _buh-bum, buh-bum, buh-bum_ , in her chest.

She took her place.

Every second seemed to last minutes.

Then she opened her mouth.

And she sang.


End file.
